London

• The narrator of the poem notices how everyone he sees looks sad and troubled, suggesting mental captivity
• The poet implements a cyclical repetitive structure to highlight the inescapable fate of those in the city
• The poem "London" has a repetitive structure, written entirely in quad trains with the rhyme scheme a b a b
• William Blake, born in 1757 in London, was a poet, painter, and printmaker who often wrote about rebelling against the misuse of power and class
• The poem "London" by William Blake is from 1794 and describes a walk through the city of London during the time of King George III
• Some lines contain seven syllables, like "marks of weakness marks of woe," to emphasize the weaknesses of those who are suffering
• The repetitive stanza structure and rhyme scheme reflect the relentless suffering in the city
• The collection "Songs of Experience" by William Blake presents a harsh view of a world corrupted by humans
• Most of the poem is written in iambic tetrameter, with lines of eight syllables and alternating unstressed and stressed syllables
• Stanzas 1 and 2 focus on the people who are suffering, while stanza 3 explores the causes of the suffering: the church, industrialization, landowners, and the monarchy
• William Blake: 'Mark of weakness marks of woe'
• Mark

  Notice or signs of weakness and woe
• Repetition of the word "mark"

  Reflects the frustration at the changing nature of London
• Repetition of the word "mark"

  Reflects the weakness of those who are suffering
• Repetition of the word "mark"


  Highlights the inescapable repetitive suffering of those in the poem
• William Blake left London shortly after writing this poem
• Misuse of power


  One of the causes of suffering
• Chartered streets and Thames widening the gap between rich and poor


  Saw the rich getting richer and the poor being more heavily controlled
• Hapless soldiers sigh runs in blood down palace walls


  Suggests the potential for an uprising if causes of unhappiness are ignored
• Reference to palace


  Suggests the monarchy is to blame for the soldiers' unhappiness
• The French Revolution influenced by the Enlightenment devolved into bloodshed and chaos
• Misuse of power by monarchy, government, organized religion, and landowners leads to widespread suffering and despair
• The marriage hearse


  Links the happy image of marriage to the negative image of death, symbolizing the destruction of old London